Verizon Wireless late last week announced plans to shut down or consolidate a number of contact centers in Washington, Texas, Michigan, and California, affecting as many as 3,175 jobs. The call centers field customer complaints and questions.

The company will close its call centers in Bellevue, Wash., and Southfield, Mich., by the end of June. A third facility in Houston will close in the third quarter. Verizon will also consolidate a call center in Folsom, Calif., into another facility in Rancho Cordova, Calif., and consolidate its Internet Response-Chat Team operations, which currently run out of several facilities across the country, into two locations in Ohio and Illinois.

Employees at the affected locations can apply for other positions within the company, look for another call center job at another Verizon location, or take a severance package.

In a statement to CNET, Verizon called the closings and consolidations an "investment in its customer care operations," but also acknowledged that the efforts will help the company maximize its assets and real estate investments.